Radu Muresan
Story : Another take on alien's arrival... it's a great one! One cylindrical shape comes into our solar system and astronauts and scientists are sent to investigate it. It was so weird to read this because I was expecting something else, like aliens and you know... aliens, but this is just a look at what other creaturesc can create. The last pages where Rama goes to that star, I was like ,,Newton seems like a baby now”. Also, the descriptions of the places inside Rama were great and there are even some intense scenes... I don't want to go to New York now.
Characters : We have a lot of people inside Rama and Norton is our main protagonist. He seems like a cool guy and he doesn't risk his people's lives, so that's good. The others are there... friends and co-workers. We don't find things about them or very little, so if someone died, I didn't really cared, except from Norton, of course. There are also scenes with politcal stuff... ehh, I've seen a lot of them so...
Overall : I am so curious about Rama 2, but it seems like this story has ended perfectly... idk, maybe I'll check it out!
More like a 4.5/5
Story : One kid runs away from home, because his father isn't there and he wants to find his mother and sister. On the other hand, an old man talks to cats and sets off on a journey to discover something mysterious. A lot of dreaming and a lot of sex and a lot of metaphors... I love it! Kafka's adventures are intriguing, same with Nakata's... if I think about it, Nakata was more interesting. Near the end I didn't really understand what was happening with that forest... he was dead, but not dead? Anyway, I laughed a lot of times and when someone died, some tears started to show up in my eyes.
Characters : Kafka is a teenager who wants to find himself, because he is lost and doesn't know what living means. Nakata is a charming old man, but he can't write or read, but in the end, he's okay with that and knows how to enjoy life. There are some side characters that are amazing, especially Hoshino... that man has some great jokes and one liners.
Overall : I thought this was going to be hard to understand, but it wasn't like that... I searched different interpretations and everyone picks up what resonates with them, I mean, even Murakami tells us this is going to be a methapor trip. I laughed, I almost cried and I couldn't let the book down once I started reading it... what more there is to say?
Story : One lady dies in a mysterious way and the family members are all suspects, but Hercule Poirot is here to save the day. I really dig this story because there are a lot of twists and you are always focused on everyone and on every element that might give you a clue on who's the killer. The last chapters are tense, because maybe is that guy considering what he's done, but it can be that lady too. Also, the reveal was so well done!
Characters : Hercule Poirot is shining here! He's like Sherlock Holmes, but much friendly. Our narrator is interesting too because he has different takes on people, in comparison with Poirot. Every member in this Styles family has something intriguing and every clue is given to us slowly and steady.
Overall : This is my first story with Poirot and I must say, it's a great one! The setting and the characters are likable and you always wonder... why did he/she do that? Poirot explains in a few words... oh, it makes sense and it's so easy to figure that, dumb dumb!
More like a 3.5/5
Story : One pedo loves a little girl, so he does everything to be with her. The plot is intriguing, even tho it's very uncomfortable to read what happens sometimes. The first half is amazing and that obsession is well developed and also, we get why Humbert does what he does... but the second half gets so boring! I don't know, but it felt kinda repetitive and I often found myself flipping pages... I don't want to know where you traveled in small details. At least, the ending spiked my interest.
Characters : I didn't know I could sympathize with a pedophile. Humbert Humbert is a well written character, with a wounderful language... how he speaks and plays with the words is trully amazing. At first, I thought I would hate him because... you know, but I didn't. Lolita is Lolita. I didn't find her very interesting. There are more characters, but I forgot their names because there are so many... her mother, her friends, the neighbours... nope, I can't do it.
Overall : If you read a little bit after the middle of the book, you'll like it a lot, but after that... it drags and the whole tension falls apart. It has a great protagonist, with layers and smart vocabulary. Time to see Kubrick's take on this story!
Story : 10 people get on an island, only to find out that they are dying one by one, mysteriously. The introduction sets the characters... I had to write down every character so I can remember them. When that tape starts to give informations, I was hooked. The ending was kinda obvious for me, but I didn't mind seeing how a criminal thinks. That poem was also very creative...
Characters : There are 10... 11 if you count that sailor. Everyone has a different personality, and I liked it. Everyone has a dark past, and I liked it. I don't know what to say... they were fine, criminals being killed. Yeah, the ways they died were sometimes very intriguing, but sometimes so lame.
Overall : Considering that this is my first Agatha Christie story, I was pleased by what I got. I like her style and can't wait to start Poirot's adventures.
Story : Some girl and her boyfriend drive to his parents to met them, but things start to get weird and stuff... that ending is so weird. From the middle of the book I started being interested, because the rest are just flashbacks with that girl that I couldn't care about. The second half has some really nice tense parts, but the final pages are so confusing and random + you know who is behind this whole thing because it's so predictable! Maybe I've seen things like this before, so it wasn't a surprise, but for people that don't know this plot twists, maybe they will enjoy it more, idk. There are parts with an investigation that I kinda liked, but gave away the whole plot.
Characters : This girl, we don't know her name, is so annoying, my God! She wants to break up with him, then she doesn't, then she does, then she doesn't... can you decide or not? She says that she shouldn't do something, but then she does it anyway... how can I care for this person? Jake was alright and I really liked some discussions in the car... life, death, cars, you know, thought provoking things.
Overall : It has some suspense, but if you know what's going to happen, it doesn't matter. Also, the ending is not satisfying because you don't know what happens... I have to come up with my own theory, or Reid explained it and I didn't get it because I'm not so smart? Anyway, I read this because I saw that Charlie Kaufman is going to make an adaptation of this...
Story : 4 kids get stuck in an attic because money... yeah, it's pretty sad. I was wondering how this book can make me interested, considering that everything happens in one place, but I was surprised... really intrigued by this story. The last pages made me so angry... I hope that SOMEONE, will rott in hell.
Characters : Cathy, Chris, Carrie and Cory are our leads and they are very likable! Cathy is just a girl, but after what happens, she must become an adult because if they can't go through this, than the little twins are dead. Something happens that made me disgusted and it can be explained, I guess, but God, I let the book down after that event. Their mother is a bitch, just like their grandmother... everyone just wants money, while these kids just want some fresh air.
Overall : This is a good book for this times... isolation, quarantine, things like that. I was hooked from start to finish, wondering what will happen to this poor fellas... I'm really sorry for them.
Story : At first, this book gave me a vibe of Arrival, the movie, and I loved it! After these aliens get familiar with humans, the adventure just begun. Near the end of the book I was wondering why Clarke decided to go with this stroyline, but the final pages explained everything and it was perfect! One of my favorite elements of this book is how the Overlords try to explain our world through our history... interesting approach.
Characters : I want an Overlord... they are so kind and smart. The humans are humans and of course they want to eliminate what is unknown to them, but the aliens are much more intelligent than us. Our main characters are fine, didn't really cared what would happen to them... I liked Jan tho.
Overall : Amazing story about aliens coming on Earth, trying to save us from ourselves... it's funny how in almost every Hollywood movie, they try to destroy us because... I don't know, I can't see the logic in doing that.
Story : Watney is stuck on Mars and he has to survive many days, so Ares 4 can come and pick him... a really interesting story that could be an amazing sci-fi thriller. So many explanations with technical stuff that I couldn't care ,,So, I did an EVA and then I put something in that thing called ... and then that didn't worked so I started a new technique using ... but it failed so [...]”. Repetition after repetition. I liked the parts on Ares 3 and on Earth... so many people working for the survival of one person (it's really heartwarming).
Characters : Oh boy, I didn't liked Watney that much. He was so unrealistic (using that word in a sci-fi is stupid, I know) because he always made jokes and he was acting like a child... Scooby Snacks, wtf? The other characters are whatever, I didn't really cared for them (tho, I liked the crew from Ares 3).
Overall : I expected something serious, but I didn't get that. The idea of the book is amazing, but I'm not a fan of the execution... this is like really overrated, in my opinion.
Story : Mircea Eliade a.k.a Allan, goes in India and finds his true love, but religion and culture differences make it difficult to be together. I'm not into romance novels because I always think of those yound adult books and I just roll my eyes, but this was a pleasant surprise! It was interesting to see how different the people were and how they tackled distinct subjects and I kinda want to read Maitreyi's opinion, but even my teacher said that I shouldn't... strange.
Characters : Eliade creates his autobiography (kinda) here, but he changes his name into Allan, but leaves everyone else the same... another interesting aspect. Because he is European, he sees Indian culture different and doesn't understand their traditions, so it's hard to get along with Maitreyi sometimes (and vice versa). Maitreyi was very cute sometimes, but in other days she really was a struggle. Because Eliade focuses on his relationship with Maitreyi, we don't really get to know the other characters, except Chabu. I felt for them and I was sad and happy when they were.
Overall : I think this is the first book written by a romanian author that I enjoyed... it's an achievement!
Story : Well, the concept is really interesting, but I didn't liked the execution so much... it's short, but feels so dragged. It would have been better as a short story that included the important parts. The first half is whatever, but when Kemp shows up, it gets better.
Characters : Griffin was a douche, but he was written pretty well. Kemp was also a nice character, but I couldn't care more a about the rest of them. It was interesting to see what Griffin did when he was invisible... it's not so easy as it sounds.
Overall : A lot of stuff just to fill the pages, but if you read the core parts, it's pretty good! I think I'll like the film more (the one from 1933).
Story : Well, the story is not very interesting: a dude creates a monster and has to stop it from doing bad things, but the characters really bring this story to life. I like how it is told and the jumps between past and present.
Characters : Yeah, I love all of them. Frankenstein is an inteligent person who wants to create revolutionary stuff, but when he acknowledges that he created a monster, he decides to stop it. Contrary, the monster is a very likable person who only wanted to do good things for people, but when he is treated like trash, he starts to hurt people, especially his creator. I felt so sorry for him and I understand why he did what he did... poor fella.
Overall : I was lucky to get the Deluxe version of this book (kinda), which is filled with illustrations and fun facts, so every time I read a page, I kinda saw the summary in one drawing... so beautiful and scary! Great story about wanting to be human... I just want to hug Frankenstein's creation.
More like a 3.5/5
Story : Umm... there are some really nice short stories like The Dead, The Sisters, A Painful Case and there are some short stories that are just okay, I guess. I am a big fan of anthologies, but when almost every story has no action (well, they have, but they are forgetable) and the characters are not interesting, it's just boring. Also, I am a fan of stories that dive into the minds of our characters, but again, here we see little of everyone because they are in short stories and sometimes it feels like they are not finished or the development is very poor.
Characters : As I said, there are many characters and everyone is disturbed by something. They aren't so developed as I would like, but I understand why. The dialogues are just amazing and I am happy to say that every story succeded in that criteria.
Overall : Some stories didn't resonate with me, and that's fine. I don't really remember the characters because there are so many and we don't know very much about them. The dialogues are great... I don't know, I think I would be more satisfied if I just read the summary of each one (except those that I love). I can't forget how Haunted made me feel, and how memorable the characters and stories were, while here... I read the story ,,What was that about?”. Maybe if I'll read them again and if I would pay more attention (it will be hard not to fall asleep), I would like more of them.
Story : The story is very familiar and I love how Orwell told it. There is an animal farm where the animals start to fight for the rights and things like that, but what they wish for is very dangerous. Also, the ending hits you hard.
Characters : These animals are real people, and they are described really well. Their emotions, their dreams, their actions are understandable and you start to care about them (more or less). At first you think they are the victims, but oh boy, it gets really hard to root for many of them.
Overall : I guess Orwell only creates sad stories, but they are so meaningful in our days (and true O_O).
More like a 3.5
Story : Umm... Idk, I really wasn't into it. The story is about Daniel, a boy who wants to know hiw favorite author... and it's just so loooong! It seems like a detective story: he goes to a person that tells him something and the has to go to another person so that person can tell him something abot the other person... my head hurts. If it was shorter, I think I would have loved it, but man, I think from the middle of the book the story really begins. There are some nice plot-twists along the way.
Characters : Daniel is a really likable character. You understand what he's doing and you support him. Fermin is another great character and the chemistry between him and Daniel is perfect. The dialogue, again, is really on point. The villain is just whatever, same with a lot of characters that just appear and the come back after 100 pages.
Overall : A semi-boring book, which if it was shorter, would have been really great!
Story : This is an unique book... whodunit in space. The case is really interesting and I still don't know how Asimov wrote this... so creative! Plot twists, amazing descriptions and a powerfull ending. I kinda knew who was the killer...
Characters : Baley is our detective and he is really likable. I also loved Daneel, but the solarians... so weird (Gladia was cute tho).
Overall : I will continue this series, because it's so fascinating! Can't wait to read Agatha Cristie too...
Story : Hanneke needs to find a girl that disappeared in WWII. I really liked the plot, but the last 100-50 are so confusing and the ,,plot twists” are so predictable. I thought this will be Sherlock Holmes, but Hannake's version, and it is, kinda. There are some amazing intense scenes that give you goosebumps, but it kinda feels useless.
Characters : Hanneke is okay and her past didn't really interest me. The most interesting characters are her friends: Ollie, Judith etc. They work on something and it's so intriguing to see how they plan everything.
Overall : Gripping plot, but falls apart towards the end and I couldn't get attached to Hanneke... I was more interested in Ollie, lol.
More like a 3.5/5
Story : Just like The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Tim, this book follows a girl that was born after Chernobyl and has mental problems. It was interesting to see how these kind of children act and think, but there are so many deaths :(
Characters: Agustina is a charming girl and I got very attached to her. The other kids were also cute and you felt sorry for them, but some... jerks. Her real family is kinda whatever, but Agustina's special school family is heart-warming!
Overall: It's like The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, the life of a troubled child.
Story: Intriguing story that makes you feel a lot of things
Characters: Adam, Zeus and Hannibal are really good, but the rest are kinda forgettable
Overall: A book that has a lot of things going for it, but after a while, it gets kinda boring
(I'll re-read this in a couple of weeks because of a project and maybe after some studies on it, it will grow on me)
Story: well told and sometimes it made me look away (I know it sounds weird)
Characters: well developed and sometimes I had sympathy for Alex so yeah, Anthony Burgess managed to make me like a horrible criminal
Feeling: disgusted when it was disgusting, happy, but sad at the same time when Alex was beaten
Overall: a great story about a psycho
